Platen



D. O. FREEMAN May zo, 192:4.

PLATEN Filed Dec. 6. 1921 WITNESSES A TTOH/VEYS Patented May 20, 1924.

- UNITED STATES DELBERT oscAn FREEMAN, or scnANroN, PENNSYLVANIA.

.PLATEN.

Application filed December 6, 1921. Serial No. 520,329.

To all whom. t may concern.'

Be it known that I, DELBERT O. FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a Anew and Improved Platen, of

' which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description;

This invention relates to improvements in platens for multigraph machines, although the invention is broad enough to cover platens used on kindred' machines of various kinds, such as the multi-color press.

In the multigraph and kindred machines in order for work to be accurately and clearly copied it is absolutely necessary that the platen have a delicate and accurate adjustment for firmly supporting the sheets to be printed upon against the printing plates. With the ordinary form of platen, brass bushin s are utilized in the platen mounting. T ese bushings wear very rapidly and quickly spoil the accurate adjustment necessary for high class work.

An object of this invention, therefore, is

v to insure constancy and accuracy of adjustment by providing a platen and moutin therefor between which friction is reduce to a minimum.

A further object is to provide a platen which can be manufactured with comparative economy and yet one which will be so efficient and durable in use as to operate accurately for years, and a platen which may readily be taken apart and any worn parts replaced at small expense.

Still a further object is to produce a device of this character which is practical and relatively simple in construction, and which may be easily kept lubricated.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal section through my improved platen showing the mounting for the same; and

Figure 2 is a view in transverse section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, I have indicated at 1 the opposite sides of the frame of a multigraph machine wherein a platenl carrying shaft such as 2 is supported. A reduced end 3 of theshaft 2 is mount- 'ed in one side of the frame. The other reduced end 4 of the shaft has bearings in a bearing sleeve 5 secured within the other side of the frame.

A conventional operating lever 6 for this shaft is secured to the reduced end 4 of the shaft and a pin 7 carried by this reduced end is movable in 'a recess 8 in the frame to invention in this case resides in thernovelmeans for supporting a platen 9 on the shaft and in th@` particular construction of the platen.

It will be seen that the platen comprises a cylindrical body portion formedadjacent each end with an internal annular web 10. Hardened steel bushings 11 are inserted in the ends of the body Vportion and abut against the webs. Any suitable and appropriate set of bearings, designated by the numeral 12 and mounted in cages 13 are interposed around the shaft 2 between the shaft and the bushings 11 and provide an antifriction rolling contact between the platen and shaft.

The usual rubber covering 14 is provided around the platen and the platen is driven in the customary manner, i. e., by a driven pinion 15 around the shaft and a clutch member 16 engageable with the platen and pinion to couple the same.

A suitable bearing 17 is interposed between the pinion 15 and sleeve 5. Caps 18 secured around the ends of the body portion of the platen by Vany suitable securing devices such as 19, cooperate with the webs 10 to provide housings for the bearings. By this construction it will be Vobvious that the invention provides means whereby the bushing 11 and bearings 12 may be readily removed from the housing and replaced when the parts become worn by simply detaching the cap 18 which forms one end of the housing from the body portion of the platen.

In order to move the platen into coacting relationship with the moving printing plate (not shown) it is merely necessary to swing the lever 6, the eccentric shape of the shaft 2 effecting this for an indefinite length of time without wear on the bearings and consequent inaccuracy of adjustment. The bearing housing may be filled with a suitable lubricant at infrequent intervals to `properly lubricate the device.

Although I have illustrated one of the preferred embodiments of my invention, it

YWill be evident that various slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described Without departing from the invention, and hence -Ido not Wish (to limit 1nyvself to the precise details set forth, -but shall formed interiorly of said body portion adjacent eacli end thereof and through which .said Vshaft extends, said web providing the inner end of a bearing housing, a cap through which said shaft also extends forining the outerend of said housing, means'for removably securing ysaid capfitosail body portion, and bearings in said housing sur rounding said shaft and cooperating With said body'portion toprovide an anti-friction support therefor. v Y

' 2. In a platen, a cylindrical body portion, a shaftk extending; therethrough, a Web formed interiorly of saidsbody portion adj acent each end thereof and through which said shaft extends, v said ,web providingthe inner end of abearing housing, a` capthrough .which said shaft also extends forming the outer end of said housing, means for removably securing saidap to said body portion, a

brushing in s aid housing providing a lining for the part of said 'body portion` forming the cylindrical Wall of said housing, `and `bearings in said housing surroundingsaid shaft and 'engaging said bushing to provide an lanti-friction `support for the body portion. Y

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